Jim Caldwell's future staff was somewhat of an unknown when he was hired as the Detroit Lions' head coach Tuesday afternoon. A couple hours later, that picture is becoming clearer.

The latest movement is an ESPN report that Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor will be named Detroit's offensive coordinator. He is expected to be joined on the new staff by current Ravens secondary coach Teryl Austin, who will become defensive coordinator.

Caldwell was thought by some to need an experienced playcaller, and Lazor is not that. He's twice been an offensive coordinator, but just once in the past decade and never at the NFL level.

He coordinated the University of Buffalo's offense from 2001-02 before taking assistant jobs with the Falcons, Redskins and Seahawks from 2003-09. He returned to the college ranks in 2010 as Virginia's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, then was hired as the Eagles' quarterbacks coach last season.

Nick Foles bloomed under Lazor's tutelage, going from a relative unknown in 2012 to a Pro Bowl season in 2013. He completed 64.0 percent of his passes, threw 27 touchdowns against just two picks and led the Eagles to a 9-2 finish after overtaking Michael Vick as the starter.

After just one year back in the NFL, Lazor has been handed the keys to the Lions' offense, and the hope would seem to be that he can help former No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Stafford match the feats of the much less heralded Foles.

It's unclear who will call the plays, nor what kind of offense will be installed.

Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

January 15th, 2014, 9:49 am

sweetd20

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: October 13th, 2005, 9:03 amPosts: 2490

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

So now supposedly the inept Lions can't even keep the OC that was coming to town. It doesn't say much for Caldwell if the rumors are all true and Caldwell and the Lions had decided on Lazor and then he bails on them for Miami. Gonna be interested how this plays out.

I don't know how reliable this site is, but I didn't see it posted anywhere yet.

_________________Just a thought...

January 15th, 2014, 1:28 pm

jrd66

Mr. Irrelevant

Joined: February 10th, 2005, 6:52 pmPosts: 961Location: Linden, MI

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

In today's media the rush is to first with the story. It seems far less critical to br right. One of these reports is wrong we will learn which one soon enough. We are reading way too much Into what 3rd party voices are saying about what is planned and what is likely to happen. Caldwell will hire an OC and the play on the field will dictate if it was a good choice or not. Who cares what the media thinks or if some advocate from the fritz foundation likes it or not?

_________________OK. Schwartz is fired, the fans are happy, now what?

January 15th, 2014, 2:09 pm

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2871

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

jrd66 wrote:

In today's media the rush is to first with the story. It seems far less critical to br right. One of these reports is wrong we will learn which one soon enough. We are reading way too much Into what 3rd party voices are saying about what is planned and what is likely to happen. Caldwell will hire an OC and the play on the field will dictate if it was a good choice or not. Who cares what the media thinks or if some advocate from the fritz foundation likes it or not?

Seconded. Writers are presenting this as if we were 'spurned' again, but how in the hell can they know? 24 hours ago, nobody in Detroit even knew who this guy was!

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

January 15th, 2014, 2:14 pm

inheritedlionsfan

League MVP

Joined: January 13th, 2006, 4:18 amPosts: 3680Location: Maryland

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

Well there goes that. Hopefully our prospective DC turns us down as well so all our coaches can be second choices.

Well there goes that. Hopefully our prospective DC turns us down as well so all our coaches can be second choices.

Caldwell was NOT our 2nd choice. The Media is full of crap. I already showed the lie in the media reporting on this.

January 15th, 2014, 6:16 pm

inheritedlionsfan

League MVP

Joined: January 13th, 2006, 4:18 amPosts: 3680Location: Maryland

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

BillySims wrote:

inheritedlionsfan wrote:

Well there goes that. Hopefully our prospective DC turns us down as well so all our coaches can be second choices.

Caldwell was NOT our 2nd choice. The Media is full of crap. I already showed the lie in the media reporting on this.

As a fan he wasn't even my second choice. So no matter what the media has said or made people think, I would have rather had Whisenhunt. Or contacted Gruden or Zimmer. Or someone who didn't ride Peyton Manning's coat tails to a Super Bowl.

Well there goes that. Hopefully our prospective DC turns us down as well so all our coaches can be second choices.

Caldwell was NOT our 2nd choice. The Media is full of crap. I already showed the lie in the media reporting on this.

As a fan he wasn't even my second choice. So no matter what the media has said or made people think, I would have rather had Whisenhunt. Or contacted Gruden or Zimmer. Or someone who didn't ride Peyton Manning's coat tails to a Super Bowl.

And Munchiac would have just been a continuation of Jim Schwartz IMHO. We would have likely kept almost the entire coaching staff.

January 15th, 2014, 6:25 pm

inheritedlionsfan

League MVP

Joined: January 13th, 2006, 4:18 amPosts: 3680Location: Maryland

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

Did I mention Munchak? No. Wouldn't have wanted him. Already read that. Not saying he's right or wrong, but you're perfectly ready to accept the word of a player about a coach who cost him his job?

Also, there's nothing from his players in Pittsburgh. Must have been doing something right on offense there. If they come out and say the same thing I'll be more likely to believe it.

Edited to add:

Quote:

Matt Leinart: Warner, not Whisenhunt, got us to a Super BowlPosted by Michael David Smith on January 15, 2014, 10:27 AM ESTleinartwarner Getty Images

Matt Leinart played for Ken Whisenhunt for three seasons in Arizona. Leinart was not impressed with his coach.

Asked on FOX Sports Live whether Whisenhunt will succeed in Tennessee, Leinart expressed skepticism, saying that Whisenhunt is wrongly credited for getting the 2008 Cardinals to the Super Bowl. According to Leinart, it was Kurt Warner who ran the offense that season, not only on the field but in meetings, where Leinart says Warner devised the game plans and Whisenhunt did nothing more than go along for the ride.

“I don’t think it’s a great fit, and I don’t think it’s great timing, and here’s why,” Leinart said of the Titans hiring Whisenhunt. “You look at his tenure in Arizona — only two years, he had success, and in those two years, Kurt Warner ran that football team — I was a part of it. Every single Monday, Kurt Warner would come in and implement 20 to 30 new plays which he would say ‘I want these in my game plan.’ We became a spread offense and we became Kurt Warner’s offense. Then Kurt Warner retires, they go 5-11 twice and they go 8-8.”

For his part, Warner said on NFL Network that he thinks Whisenhunt will do a great job with the Titans. Warner added, however, that he thought the Lions — who also wanted Whisenhunt — would have been a better choice for what Whisenhunt brings to the table.

“I’m excited for my old coach Ken Whisenhunt and the job down in Tennessee,” Warner said. “I think I’m a little bit surprised like my most people; you felt like a better fit might be in Detroit just because of the pieces that he had, specifically the quarterback he had there.”

Leinart said he doesn’t think the Titans will succeed with Whisenhunt because Jake Locker isn’t the answer at quarterback. Asked directly if he likes Whisenhunt, Leinart laughed incredulously and answered, “Do I like Whisenhunt?”

I’d take that as a no.

January 15th, 2014, 6:32 pm

Blueskies

QB Coach - Brian Callahan

Joined: September 13th, 2007, 12:43 pmPosts: 3121

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

If Caldwell wasn't the second choice, why didn't they hire him weeks ago?

If Caldwell wasn't the second choice, why didn't they hire him weeks ago?

Why did they wait until Tennessee hired Whisenhunt?

Why rush? So, people could turn around and claim they didn't do their due diligence? I don't know. But, I do know the Lions never offered the job to Wisenhunt. And I do know the Lions were talking with Caldwell all day Monday.

So do the math.

January 15th, 2014, 7:03 pm

HechePipe

Pop Warner Allstar

Joined: September 23rd, 2013, 1:09 pmPosts: 146

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

If I'm looking for an employee to hire, I would want the largest pool possible to choose from. Why not at least interview Whisenhunt? I don't know if Caldwell is the right guy or not, but if they thought Caldwell was the better man for the job, I think they owed it to the players to at least make sure a guy who has been to a SB as a head coach with a dismal organization wasn't better than Caldwell. I think they honed in on Whisenhunt but Caldwell jumped through hoops in that interview, apparently, and quite possibly made himself a better candidate. Happens all the time at the combine. A team wants a certain player, chooses another player because of his combine. Lions probably wanted Whis, but after the interview Caldwell turned in, he was just impossible to beat. Tennessee only beat the Lions' offer by a million dollars. If that was the difference between hiring Whisenhunt, the Fords aren't stingy. If they really thought Whisenhunt was the guy, Ford would open his checkbook. But I'm not convinced that they thought he was the better coach.At least I hope that's how it went.

January 15th, 2014, 7:33 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: Report: Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor to be named Lions OC

I think the Lions would have made a more serious offer to Whisenhunt IF:

He would not have been so damn determined to turn the defense into a 3-4,

And if he wouldn't have wanted more control over the personnel.

It was stated that Whisenhunt wanted a 3-4 defense, and in Tennessee he has been given more input on personnel decision than what Caldwell will have. Combine that with Whisenhunt wanting to go into a division that he is hoping will be just a two team race, and that's why Wiz went to Tennessee.

If the Lions truly had Caldwell as their first choice, they would have hired him BEFORE the Chargers lost their game on Sunday. The Lions had already interviewed Whisenhunt, but were hoping he would buckle on the defense thing. I have no doubt if it were simply money, the Fords would have met his price.

Believe what you want, but I don't think for one second Caldwell was their primary desire in the HC hunt. They went shooting for eagles, and got a crow instead.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.